Cullinan Belek resort: Say goodbye to the grey with this luxurious Turkish Riviera stay

A visit to a steamy hammam is a must when travelling to Turkey.

The very best of the country’s famed resorts will often have one of their own, giving guests that chance to dabble in a time-honoured local tradition while experiencing the height of relaxation.

Cullinan Belek, an elegant seaside hotel just a stone’s throw from Antalya, on the idyllic Turkish Riviera, is one of these resorts. And wanting to start my visit with something uniquely Turkish, I was quick to get on board - signing up for a ‘foam massage’.

I’m no stranger to spas, but this was an experience unlike any other. Here, in a private room, you’ll lie on a warm, stone bed, and be covered in a thick blanket of soapy foam. It’s surprisingly heavy, and pleasantly comforting.

Next, however, comes the massage. The bubbles are now used to both massage and wash you, a deeply cleansing ritual performed with expert hands that leaves you feeling a whole new level of clean. Despite being wet, you’re never cold for even a second, and you’re left perfectly relaxed - as you likely will be for most of your stay at this distinctive luxury resort.

Flanked on one side by the sparkling turquoise waters of the Mediterranean, and on the other by the dramatic silhouette of the Taurus Mountains, the all-inclusive Cullinan offers not only a fantastic array of hundreds of beautiful rooms, villas and suites to suit a range of price points, but incredible amenities - including its onsite spa, a water park, a private beach, plentiful dining options, and access to the adjoining Cullinan Links Golf Club.

I recently had the opportunity to experience a blissful week-long retreat at Cullinan Belek myself, accompanied by my partner for the perfect escape from the long, dark English winter. Here’s how we found it:

The world on a plate

As we walked into Mare Main on our very first morning - just one of the resort’s vast assortment of bistros and restaurants - we could hardly believe our eyes. It was a breakfast buffet like no other, row after row of delights from all corners of the world on gleaming counters as far as the eye could see.

Assortments of freshly baked pastries greeted us in one corner, adorned with berries and lashings of chocolate. In another, fresh fruit juice was squeezed to order, while across the room fluffy crepes and crispy, flat-pressed gözlemer were served hot off the grill. Between them stretched cereal bars, delicatessen-like assortments of meats and cheeses, golden honey dripping from a great slab of honeycomb, and local treats carved into dainty bites - tiny cubes of rich sesame halva, and diamonds of flaky, pistachio-flecked baklava.

It was nearly impossible to decide where to start. You could easily eat all three of your daily meals here, and not have sampled even half of what was on offer. But then, of course, you’d miss out on Cullinan Belek’s vibrant restaurant scene, each with its own distinct character, and each bringing talented chefs and top-quality produce together in an intricate dance.

Choosing a different à la carte option each night was a breeze with the hotel’s helpful personal assistant service on WhatsApp. Each offered a different cuisine - or in some cases, different cuisines on different nights. But regardless of which you chose, you’d be sure to find fine dining elevated from just food to performance, and at least one truly standout dish.

First up was the beef grill, serving up beautifully aged steaks with a trio of mouthwatering sauces, and grilled vegetables and mushrooms galore. They were all too happy to pivot once they found out I was actually a vegetarian, but my meat-loving partner said the bone marrow bruschetta, extracted and torched tableside, was the real winner - a perfect lead-in to what was to come. Pascarella offers both pasta and seafood-based menus on different nights, with freshly made pastas that are sure to impress (although I can confirm that its creamy risotto is also excellent), and on its seafood nights, an impressive array of dips and breads as starters that will give you a true taste of the Mediterranean before any fish has even arrived at the table. Pascarella was also the home of my favourite dessert; a decadent tahini lava cake, just oozing with rich sesame goodness in a local twist on an old classic - the flavours of halva taking new form.

As well as serving up intricate platters of sushi and some inspired seafood dishes - like paper-thin seabass topped with shards of earthy truffle - Asian restaurant Nori also offered a teppanyaki experience that was perhaps one of the overall highlights of the trip. Our charming and cheeky chef effortlessly balanced banter with theatrics, flipping his tools and tossing eggs with pinpoint precision, before setting the whole grill aflame in a blaze of light.

For the especially brave you can even get involved, attempting daring fork-flips or catching flying morsels of food in your mouth. If you succeed, you could be rewarded with a lollipop - or perhaps even a chef hat of your own.

A state of relaxation

A general sense of relaxation can be found wherever you wander on the resort’s spacious grounds, from the gentle music and dulcet tones of passing staff, to the tranquil lapping of the waves against the shoreline as you doze in a sun-warmed recliner.

But of course, relaxation begins in your living quarters. With their inbuilt air of luxury, Cullinan’s are perhaps unrivalled. The rooms in the main building are beautiful. Spacious, tastefully decorated, and completely soundproof, illuminated by large windows from which the region’s characteristic sun filters through warm-toned voile curtains.

If you’ve splashed for the special welcome, once you step into your lodgings you’ll be greeted by a bottle of champagne on ice, accompanied by freshly-cut dragonfruit, persimmon and pineapple, artfully arranged beside a rainbow of macarons and a selection of chocolates (made in house, of course).

And of course, the perfect place to enjoy them is on your private balcony - a feature many of the rooms have - where you can lie back and take in the sunlit vista that surrounds you, enjoying a real feeling of privacy despite the fact you’re surrounded by other rooms in the open air.

For guests in need of a little extra help winding down and recuperating from their busy lives, a visit to C’Espace spa is the natural next step. Its deeply-cleansing Turkish bath experience is just the beginning of what it has to offer, with a plethora of other deeply relaxing options available spanning continents east and west.

Massages seem like the classic place to start, and the resort even has its own ‘Cullinan signature massage’ available. But if you’re after something more exotic, or a bit more specialised, they cater to that too. There’s a hot stone massage - where you can literally feel the tension melt from your muscles under the warmth of deeply-heated rocks placed across the body - Hawaiian lomi lomi, the classic Swedish technique, Japanese shiatsu, or Ayurvedic-inspired abhyanga massages. There are also foot reflexology massages, as well as ones incorporating special techniques safe for pregnancy. There will undoubtedly be something to suit every body, and alleviate a little of the strain of most any ache or pain.

Once you’re done with that, there’s more pampering to be had. Luscious facials, masks, scrubs and rituals galore, you can do everything from sweat it out in the sauna, to deeply tone your face with a sculpting massage. Afterwards, you’ll be escorted to a heated lounger and offered your choice of warm teas. Pure bliss.

A leisurely pace

I’m fairly uninitiated when it comes to the world of golfing, but with the resort being home to the Cullinan Links Golf Club (and it visibly being a very big drawcard for many of my fellow guests) I had to give it a try. The 36-hole course has been created by a leading European designer, and Cullinan says that it boasts the honour of being the only course in Turkey between a river and the sea - meaning gorgeous views can be found no matter which hole you’re on.

Fortunately for me it is also home to a golf academy, where you can take lessons on the basics with professional instructors on a dedicated driving range. Caddied door-to-door in a golf cart, our lovely teacher Olga was there to welcome us. A clear master of the game, she taught us different strokes and types of club to use with patience and ease, culminating in a friendly competition between the three of us on a practice green (needless to say, I didn’t win - although I certainly did better than expected).

The resort also offers a variety of yoga and fitness classes if that’s more your speed, with schedules sent directly to your phone each morning by your personal assistants. But what could be more perfect than a refreshing swim in the near year-round sun, followed by time spent relaxing by the pool?

There are indoor and outdoor swimming options to suit any weather conditions, and desired level of excitement. The waterpark, with its colourful jungle theme and the towering waterslides snaking throughout, is sure to be a winner with the children. But equally, the blue and green sea-inspired pools dotted across the grounds are really something special.

Here you can order poolside drinks, free of charge, from waiters who zip around nimbly on roller skates while you soak up the sun. In cooler temperatures, many of the pools are heated, meaning you can take a dip no matter when you’re visiting. Surrounded by bobbing wagtails and the gentle coo of the laughing dove as you make your way through the rippling water, you’ll truly feel a sense of peace and serenity that’s all too often missing back at home.

Direct flights between the UK and Antalya, Turkey are available from London, Manchester, Liverpool, Bristol, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Belfast and more. Cullinan Belek has a range of different accommodation options available, which you can book online via their website here. Prices vary by season. As of February 2025, these start from £309 per night.